Biodegradable prosthetic device
AssigneeRichards Medical Company
InventorsF. Barry Bays, Richard L. Dunn, Sam Marchand, Richard W. Treharne, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A prosthetic device formed of a biodegradable material and useful as a ventilation tube for insertion between the middle ear and the outer ear. The device includes a shaft with an axial passage, an inner flange and an outer flange. At least a portion of the outer surface of the shaft is tapered, with the taper increasing from the inner to the outer flange. The larger diameter outer flange and any attached portion of the shaft are, therefore, forced outwardly when the tapered portion of the shaft is in contact with animal tissue biodegrades before other portions of the prosthesis.
Claims8
A prosthetic device formed of a biodegradable material and useful as a ventilation tube, comprising a shaft with an axial passage, an inner flange, an outer flange, at least a portion of the outer surface of the shaft being tapered, the diameter of the tapered portion of the outer surface increasing from the inner to the outer flange, so that the outer flange and any attached portion of the shaft are forced outwardly when said tapered portion of the shaft in contact with animal tissue biodegrades before other portions of the prosthesis.
A ventilation tube for insertion between the middle ear and outer ear, comprising:
- a tube having an axial passage, the diameter of at least a portion of the outer surface of said tube increasing from the proximal end to the distal end of said tube;
- an inner flange formed on the proximal end of said tube;
- an outer flange formed on the distal end of said tube;
- and
- at least said tube and said inner flange being formed of material which biodegrades on contact with animal body fluids, so that when a portion of the tube in contact with animal fluids biodegrades, a break occurs in the tube and the inner flange will fall into the inner ear and biodegrade upon contact with animal fluids therein and the outer flange will fall outwardly into the outer ear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.